I have recently decided to try to make some mead and i want to know what everyone recomends as starting equipment. I have read the information on the website, but I would like some personal imput (: Thanks

JoeM

07-10-2004, 10:21 AM

Mead can be made as simple or as complicated as you want. Basically all you really need to start making mead (besides your ingredients) is something to hold the ingredients in while they ferment, and a way to vent the gas that is produced during fermentation (you may later also want bottles to put the mead in, but thatís a bit down the road). As far as fermentation vessels go, I get the impression that most people prefer the plastic buckets sold at most homebrew supply shops. Personally I prefer glass carboys as they allow me to see whats going on as the mead ferments. I take my clean and sanitized glass carboy, dump my ingredients in, mix them up, put an airlock on the top (which can also be purchased at any homebrew supply shop for $1-$2) and in about 10-14 months I have mead. Mind you this is the simplest way to do it and it can get a lot more complicated if you wish to make it that way. Most people, including myself, like to have multiple vessels, so that after a few weeks to months the mead can be siphoned off of the sediment that collects at the bottom. This sediment makes the mead murky and ugly looking and some believe it can give the mead bad flavors.

Norskersword

07-10-2004, 02:49 PM

The vessels that JoeM is talking about are 5 gallon vessels. Alot of newbies like me like to use 1 gallon glass jugs to start out with. In my opinion it makes more sense to risk 1 gallon of mead ingredients rather than 5 when you don't know what your doing, as in my case. ;)

dogglebe

07-11-2004, 06:10 PM

I recommend that you purchase a homebrewing kit for beer and brew some beer first. You should learn how to sanitize yopur equipment before anything else. When brewing beers (ales), you'll know if you're sanitizing everything properly in a few weeks rather than a year for longer (for meads).

Phil

Talon

07-12-2004, 10:39 AM

There is a mead homebrewing kit from Leeners that will give you a starter kit, all the fermenters, toys and honey to get started all for under $100 including shipping. Now, keep in mind you'll need about 15 to 16 750ml bottles when it's all said and done.
Here's where to look: http://www.leeners.com/meadery.html

dogglebe

07-13-2004, 08:05 AM

There is a mead homebrewing kit from Leeners that will give you a starter kit, all the fermenters, toys and honey to get started all for under $100 including shipping. Now, keep in mind you'll need about 15 to 16 750ml bottles when it's all said and done.
Here's where to look: http://www.leeners.com/meadery.html

You're better off buying a five gallon homebrew kit and extra carboy from your local homebrew shop and the honey from elsewhere locally. The cost for shipping all that honey would be ridiculous.

Phil

Oskaar

07-15-2004, 03:44 PM

I agree with Phil. I recently purchased 120# of honey from a local source here in CA and shipping was not nearly as much as I had imagined it would be. It worked out to less than 20$ and there were two nice-sealed and neatly boxed 5 gallon plastic barrels of orange blossom and clover honey on my doorstep.

sweet deal!

Oskaar

Norskersword

07-15-2004, 03:51 PM

Oskaar, what was the total price of your transaction? And where did it come from?